IHEA members gathered in Hilton Head Island in March as IHEA celebrated its 96th anniversary as part of its 2025 Annual Meeting. The program was filled with timely and well-received presentations, valuable committee meetings, and a great array of social activities including a golf outing, traditional theme dinner, and the president’s gala to close the event.
A well-received AI presentation from Isabella Bedoya with Infinite AI included a live demonstration and gave the audience plenty of food for thought. IHEA economist Chris Kuehl gave two presentations. The first was his annual economic update, where he indicated that the data we follow shows no signs of a recession (more on that in the next IHEA member economic update).
Roundtable discussions kicked off the second day of the meeting and saw members actively engaged as they talked about the biggest challenges facing the industry as we transition to a sustainable and low-carbon future; whether there are still strong initiatives focusing on decarbonization in industrial heating processes (the answer was a resounding “yes”); concern over the potential Canadian & Mexican proposed tariffs; change of companies’ strategic direction with the new U.S. government administration; and more.
Jason McHood of Airgas, an Air Liquide Co., gave an excellent presentation on hydrogen combustion, looking at what’s happening, transitions, and what’s coming down the road.
IHEA committee reports provided updates on a variety of activities while the Sustainability Committee kicked off the program planning for the IHEA 2025 Industrial Heating Decarbonization SUMMIT with great momentum.
Chris Kuehl returned on the final day to provide a deep dive into geopolitics around the globe. Several attendees who had never attended an IHEA Annual Meeting said: “Best honest, impartial economic talk and outlook I’ve ever been around.”
Our annual “Fireside Chat” concluded the meeting with insights from Chad Spore of John Deere and Scott Hyde of Timken sharing information on their learning process where sustainability is concerned and giving an honest approach to answers asked by session moderator Tim Lee of Honeywell.
All in all, this was another successful IHEA Annual Meeting with plenty of great information shared and wonderful comradery throughout the event. IHEA thanks its counterparts: Timo Wuerz of CECOF in Europe and Ryouji Takashi of JIMFA in Japan, for making the long journey to South Carolina to provide an update on the industrial heating industry in their respective areas.
Finally, IHEA recognized the contributions of long-time member Mike Shay of Elster Kromschroeder North America, who passed away in December. Shay’s contributions to IHEA and the industry will always be remembered. “Slåinte, Mike!”
Mark your calendar to attend the IHEA 2025 Industrial Heating Decarbonization SUMMIT in Indianapolis September 29-October 1. Bookmark www.summit.ihea.org to keep up-to-date as the SUMMIT program unfolds later this spring.
